Former Senator Dino Melaye has likened President Bola Tinubu to Uganda's late dictator Idi Amin, criticising the recently announced fuel price discount as a deceptive political gesture rather than genuine relief for Nigerians.
Melaye made the comparison in a post on his verified X account, according to a report by Daily Post, as public debate continues over the Federal Government's 30-day fuel discount scheme and the extension announced by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC).
The Idi Amin Comparison
Melaye's comparison invoked one of Africa's most notorious military rulers, suggesting that Tinubu's style of governance shares disturbing parallels with Amin's. The former senator's remark added a sharp political dimension to the growing controversy surrounding the fuel discount, which critics have described as a public relations exercise rather than a substantive economic intervention.
Amin, who ruled Uganda from 1971 to 1979, was known for erratic and theatrical governance, economic policies that devastated his country, and brutal repression of opponents. The comparison by Melaye suggests a view that Tinubu's policies are similarly performative and detached from the real suffering of citizens.
Discount Scheme Under Fire
The discount, originally launched on October 1 as an Independence Day promotion tied to Nigeria's 66th anniversary, offered a N66 per litre reduction at NNPC Retail outlets. It was initially scheduled to end on October 7 but was extended until October 31, according to a statement signed by NNPC's Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Andy Odeh.
NNPC has insisted the discount is a "customer relief measure" funded from NNPC Retail's own profit margin and not a restoration of the petroleum subsidy. Finance Minister and Coordinating Minister of the Economy Taiwo Oyedele also clarified that it was "not a subsidy," adding that the government was negotiating to cap the landed cost of petrol at N1,350 per litre.
However, critics have questioned the scheme's practical value, noting that NNPC Retail operates just over 900 filling stations nationwide serving a population of about 242 million people. They argue that requiring motorists to drive to select stations, queue, download an app and pay through it to save N66 per litre undermines the relief's real-world benefit.
Atiku's 'Campaign Money Cashier' Attack
Melaye's criticism echoed a broader offensive launched earlier by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, the ADC presidential candidate, who accused Tinubu of turning NNPC Limited into a "campaign money cashier." Atiku questioned whether the NNPC Board approved the discount before the Presidency announced it, and asked how much profit the company would forgo and under which line item the cost would appear.
"When Nigerians asked for affordable petrol, Tinubu officials delivered lectures on market forces. They said prices cannot be wished down. But when Tinubu needs a headline, the Presidency reaches into NNPC's profit margin and calls it relief," Atiku said in a statement issued by his campaign council. "Apparently, the market is sacred — until the President needs applause."
Atiku also contrasted the scheme with his own "production subsidy" proposal, accusing Tinubu of mocking his position only to "borrow its core lesson" while delivering what he described as an inadequate app-based coupon.
Political Fallout
The fuel discount has become a lightning rod for opposition criticism, with opponents framing it as an attempt to manufacture goodwill amid economic hardship caused by the removal of the petrol subsidy. The Tinubu government has consistently defended its deregulation of the downstream sector as necessary to eliminate unsustainable spending and attract investment.
The Presidency has not yet responded directly to Melaye's Idi Amin comparison. The remark adds to a pattern of increasingly personal and inflammatory rhetoric between government supporters and critics as political tensions intensify.
The claims and characterisations made by Melaye and other critics remain political commentary rather than established fact, and the government's position on the discount's rationale and funding remains as stated by NNPC and the Ministry of Finance.
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